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Bioluminescence is the ability of certain living organisms to produce light.The name originates from the Greek bios for "living" and the Latin lumen "light". Bioluminescence may be generated by symbiotic organisms carried within a larger organism. It is generated by an biochemical reaction, wherein a luciferin, a pigment protein is oxidised by an enzyme, luciferase. Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is involved in most instances.The chemical reaction can be either external to cells, or an intracellular process.

Bioluminescent Antarctic krill - watercolor by


1 Characteristics of the phenomenon

Bioluminescence is a form of luminescence or "cold light" emission, less than 20% of the light is generated by thermal radiation. It should not be confused with fluorescenceultraviolet light in vials containing various sized cadmium selenide (CdSe) quantum dots. Fluorescence is a luminescence, i. optical phenomenon in cold bodies, in which a molecule absorbs a high-energy photon, and re-emits it as a lower-energy (longer-wav, phosphorescencePhosphorescence is a radiative transition involving a change in the spin multiplicity of a molecule. Because of this change, the radiative transition is delayed, and the phosphorescent material glows a while after the incident illumination stops. Because or refractionThis article refers to refraction in waves. For refraction in metals, see refraction (metallurgy . Ripple tank Refraction is the change in direction of a wave due to a change in velocity. It happens when waves travel from a medium with a given refractive of light.

90% of deep sea marine lifeDeep sea fish are the species of fish that live below the photic zone of the ocean. Examples include lanternfish, flashlight fish, cookie-cutter shark and anglerfish. Because these fish live in regions where there is no natural illumination, they cannot r is estimated to produce bioluminescence in one form or another. Most marine light-emission belongs in the blueBlue (from Old High German "blao" shining) is one of the three primary additive colors; blue light has the shortest wavelength (about 470 nm) of the three primary colors. A clear sky on a sunny day is colored blue because of Rayleigh scattering of the lig and greenGreen is a colour seen commonly in nature. Plants are green because they contain chlorophyll. Green light has a wavelength of around 550 nm and is one of the additive primary colours, the complement of magenta. Many artists, however, continue to use a tra light spectrumElectromagnetic radiation is a combination of oscillating electric and magnetic fields in perpendicular orientation to each other, moving through space, effectively transporting energy from one place to another. Visible light is a form of electromagnetic, unsurprisingly these wavelengths have the most powerful penetrating power in water. However certain loose jawed fish emit red and infrared light.

Non-marine bioluminescence is less widely distributed, but more variety in colours is seen. The two most reknowned forms of land–bioluminescence are fireflies and New Zealand glow worms. Other insects, insect larva e, annelids, arachnids and even species of fungi have been noted to possess bioluminescent abilities.

Most forms of bioluminescence are brighter (or only exist) at night, following a circadian rhythm.




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